One of the worst 'Christmas' Sermons We've Ever Heard

December 30, 2008

Segment 1 - Listener Email

Segment 2 - New Study Shows That Teen Virginity Pledges Don't Work

Segment 3 - Polygamists Sue to Have The Word 'Couple' Re-Defined

Segment 4 - One of the worst 'Christmas' Sermons We've Ever Heard

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Comments

[Lane Chaplin]

Chris,

This was one of the top 5 worst "sermons" that I've ever heard, period. I don't think that secular people as a whole talk about themselves as much as some of these guys. This would have definitely counted as a terrible sermon that we could have reviewed when I was there. Ugh.

(The "Jedi Church Planter" part had me laughing hard. haha)

Lane

[Angela]

This 'sermon' was so awful that I could not bring myself listen to it in its entirety. The content of these self-indulgent messages is a depressing indictment on the 'post modern' culture in the... ehem!... churches.

Listening to it has made me feel quite bilious. Kudos to you, Chris, for being able to put yourself through these egoistic pontifications.

Angela

[Angela]

This 'sermon' was so awful that I could not bring myself listen to it in its entirety. The content of these self-indulgent messages is a depressing indictment on the 'post modern' culture in the... ehem!... churches.

Listening to it has made me feel quite bilious. Kudos to you, Chris, for being able to put yourself through these egoistic pontifications.

Angela

[Dove]

I heard this same message at my church a few months ago given by a guest preacher that was not Tadd. I wonder if it is a "canned" sermon that is just floating around?
I have been trying to find where the message was preached at our church, but i can't. I know it was the same b/c i remember it clearly, b/c i had the same reactions to Tadd as I did at our chruch.
It was just strange to hear the same message given by 2 different people at 2 different churches at 2 seperate times.

[Jason]

I've got one to add.. This is from the church we fled after we found a great Bible-thumping church that loves God's Word.

http://www.wcpres.org/audio/mp3s/20081221.mp3

In it Morgan Murray likens Christ to a "Palestinian baby born to Migrant Farm Workers in the back of a pick-up truck in a parking lot outside of Turlock..." (minute 6:10)

I kid you not. The style, substance and content is the most disrepectful, dreadful telling of the nativity story.

[Tony Rose]

Dove,

Your intuitions are correct, these guys copy one another's sermons like old ladies swap recipes.

In reviewing several of Tadd's sermons in the past I have come upon this between him and Gary Lamb, and Furtick.

They don't call it "plagiarism," they call it "collaboration," and are quite proud of it as you can see in these posts:

http://www.stevenfurtick.com/uncategorized/steal-the-stuff-you-suck-at/

http://www.garylamb.org/2007/07/25/i-think-ill-steal-that/

It is sad that so may pastors no longer spend time in the Word to prepare what God has to say to His people, but instead, come up with gimmicks and tricks to bastardize the gospel into Tony Robbins "self-help," and unoriginal messages.

It is strange as you mention, to hear the same sermons from these different guys, with the same examples and inflections, as if it were new.

What is sad, is the people hearing them don't seem to care. I guess when you buy "church in a box" you expect for "pastor in a box" to deliver "sermon in a box."

tr

[Amy Peterson]

Pine Ridge is in the town that I live. After they came on to the scene, I listened to some of Tadd's sermons online. Specifically, I remember the poker-themed series, "All In". In one message, I really thought Tadd would get around to sharing the Gospel. He didn't. Then through following a few links, I stumbled on Gary Lamb's podcasts and noticed that Revolution was doing the "All In" series at the same time. I listened to one of Lamb's messages thinking that maybe Lamb would share the gospel. He didn't. But he delivered the EXACT same message as Tadd. I couldn't believe it. It was not only the same outline. It was almost like reading from the same transcript. I knew what Lamb was going to say before he even said it. They even told the same jokes about their wives. That was the beginning of how i discovered the existence of the "sermon series in a box".

amy

[Amy Peterson]

Don't you think that this "worst Christmas sermon" award should at least be shared with those at Lifechurch.tv?:

http://www.lifechurch.tv/message-archive/watch/ydhwit/4

[Amy Peterson]

well, thankfully this guy didn't see a black cloud either:

"As I was praying for the direction for my future about leaving this university, a cloud began to fill the room, and it was just a thick heavy cloud, and the next thing you know, I heard an audible voice, and it said, “Herbert, you’re supposed to leave.” Just kidding. There was no cloud. There was no smoke. I mean, some of you like all that mystical stuff. “WOoo-ooo, he’s a man of God. I mean, he gets a cloud in the room.” That, that didn’t happen. No cloud. No audible voice, but I did clearly hear God speak to my heart, and He said, “Herbert, I want you to leave where you are to go to where I want you to be,” and I did that very thing. I left where I was to go to where God wanted me to be."

source:
http://www.lifechurch.tv/message-archive/watch/ydhwit/4